NRA tactics erode post-Newtown support for gun-control measures  —  Sen Mark Begich declared a “sea change” in the politics of gun control immediately after the school shooting in Newtown, Conn., telling his local newspaper that he would not hesitate to buck the powerful National Rifle Association.

Obama Got It All Wrong With California Attorney General; Florida Attorney General Is Way Hotter  —  President Barack Obama called California Attorney General Kamala Harris on Thursday night to apologize for calling her “by far the best-looking attorney general in the country” …

Reid Hints at Using ‘Nuclear Option’ on Judges  —  Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Friday that unless nominations start moving swiftly through the Senate, another round of dramatic rules changes may be in the offing.  —  The Nevada Democrat said that while he was “happy” …

Will Demographics Doom the Dems' Demagoguery on Entitlements?  —  A friend who has been on this particular case for a long time writes: … Meanwhile, the Left is up in arms about Obama's suggestion that Social Security cost of living increases might be slowed to a more realistic level.

FBI interviews Petraeus as part of probe  —  Petraeus resigned last year as head of the CIA when it was revealed that he had had an extramarital affair with his biographer, Paula Broadwell.  —  WASHINGTON — FBI agents interviewed David Petraeus, the former head of the Central Intelligence Agency …

Ben Carson Apologizes to Johns Hopkins Community  —  Ben Carson's apology tour continued this afternoon in an e-mail that was sent, according to its subject line, to “the Hopkins Community”:  —  Dear Colleagues, Friends and Associates:  —  As you know, I have been in the national news quite …

Third major oil spill in a week: Shell pipeline breaks in Texas  —  Thousands of gallons of oil have spilled from a pipeline in Texas, the third accident of its kind in only a week.  —  Shell Pipeline, a unit of Royal Dutch Shell Plc, shut down their West Columbia, Texas …

Pryor: “Undecided” on Same-Sex Marriage  —  U.S. Sen. Mark Pryor, D-Ark., said in an interview at 5NEWS in Fayetteville on Friday (April 5) he is undecided on same-sex marriage and has spoken about the issue with gay friends, who told him their sexual preference is not a choice.

Obama budget to take aim at wealthy IRAs  —  President Obama's budget, to be released next week, will limit how much wealthy individuals - like Mitt Romney - can keep in IRAs and other retirement accounts.  —  The proposal would save around $9 billion over a decade, a senior administration official said …

Getting a literature Ph.D. will turn you into an emotional trainwreck, not a professor.  —  Who wouldn't want a job where you only have to work five hours a week, you get summers off, your whole job is reading and talking about books, and you can never be fired?

Frank Lautenberg Hill return unclear  —  New Jersey Sen. Frank Lautenberg will not return to Capitol Hill next week, and now it's unclear when — or even if — the veteran lawmaker will be back.  —  Democrats in New Jersey and Washington are watching the moves of the retiring 89-year-old senator closely …